This application claims the priority of German Application No. 19621949.3, the disclosure of which is expressly incorporated by reference herein.
The invention relates to a floor structure for an automobile, said structure extending over at least the entire bottom of a passenger compartment and comprising a plurality of functional areas.
A floor structure for a motor vehicle is known from German Patent Document DE 38 09185 C2. The known floor structure is built up sandwichwise, with a honeycomb core being provided between an upper floor part and a lower floor part. The upper floor part has a center tunnel in the area of the passenger compartment, to the bottom of which tunnel hose lines and bearings for transmission rods are fastened by means of a multipartite sheet metal design.
A goal of the invention is to provide a floor structure of the type generally described at the outset that has sufficient rigidity without a center tunnel and sufficient mounting provisions for vehicle functional parts in the vicinity of the center of the vehicle.
This and other goals have been achieved according to the present invention by providing a floor structure for an automobile, said floor structure extending over the entire bottom of a passenger compartment and having a plurality of functional areas, wherein a one-piece plate-shaped middle part is connected to a central area of said floor structure, a plurality of receptacles being incorporated into said middle part, said receptacles including a bracket for a hand brake lever, a receptacle for an airbag sensor, and a holder for a shift housing, said holder including at least three mounting pots spaced apart from one another, said mounting pots being configured for connection to the shift housing, said mounting pots projecting upward from a floor plate of the middle part to define an accommodation space therebetween for at least one cable duct below the shift housing.
The middle part thus constitutes a multifunctional part since accommodations are provided for a plurality of vehicle functional parts. Because of the separate design and incorporation of the middle part into the floor structure, the latter, even without the provision of a center tunnel, has sufficient rigidity over its entire surface to permit in particular a safe and comfortable function of vehicle functional parts such as a hand brake and gearshift. Separate mounting of the various accommodations is eliminated by the one-piece arrangement on the middle part so that much faster and simpler assembly on the middle part so that much faster and simpler assembly of the corresponding vehicle functional parts in the middle functional area is made possible. The floor element according to the invention strengthens the middle area of the floor structure and hence the main floor, and absorbs oscillation, bending, and torsional forces. At the same time, the forces that occur as a result of the actuation of the vehicle functional parts in the middle functional area are absorbed without the main floor, i.e., the floor structure, being stressed by these forces.
In designing the invention, a bracket for a manual lever of a hand brake, a holder for a shift housing, and a receptacle for a sensor for an airbag unit are provided on the middle part. A particular advantage of the solution according to the invention is the fact that the various vehicle functional parts can be mounted in advance on the middle part and then the middle part can be added to the floor structure. Mounting the manual lever of the hand brake, shift housing, and sensor for the airbag unit in the central functional area integrates all the important functional parts in the middle part.
In another embodiment of the invention, at least three mounting pots spaced apart from one another are provided as receptacles for the shift housing, to which pots the shift housing is fastenable, said pots projecting upward from the floor panel sufficiently to allow at least one cable duct to be laid between the mounting pots and below the shift housing. Before the installation of the shift console or shift housing, a free space that is freely accessible is available between the mounting pots for inserting the cable ducts. As a result, it is possible to install the cable duct from above, making assembly easy.
As a result of the arrangement of the mounting pots, the cable duct is already exactly aligned and positioned.
In another embodiment of the invention, the middle part is provided with stiffeners whose positions and dimensions are adjusted to the stiffening design of the entire floor structure. The middle part thus reinforces the middle area of the main floor and also contributes to stiffening the entire floor structure.
Other objects, advantages and novel features of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description of the invention when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.